[big mike]

Me and a worker were on a big job today, and had a visit from the county environmental compliance officer. We are in the process of removing old peeling latex paint from 5 apartment buildings, using turbo nozzles and hot water. White paint chips everywhere, and someone called thinking lead paint. The guy strolled right up to me in a caution zone with no protective gear on, and told me to shut down my equipment. I was 45' up on a lift, and when I came down, I chewed him a new one for violating the work zone. Anyway, he says "we got an anonymous call about lead paint". I told him it was less than ten years old, but he didn't buy it. I ended up calling the general contractor running the job, and he produced the documents showing the test results as negative for lead.

Just wanted to share this as proof that these folks do exist, and are not afraid to show their authority. Be aware of what you're working with, and have documentation to back yourself up. He was ready to shut us down on a more permanent basis if need be. Kind of eye opening, since I have never seen any enforcement of any kind up here. I think it may have been a competitor who didn't get the job that called it in, but who knows?